Pole barn home?
 

I have found out we are going to lose our home to road construction so I want to build this time. I love the idea of anything cheap but nice. I have seen several homes throughout different area that are a lot like metal garages but the look really nice. I am thinking on the money I can save on the exterior I can put inside. Every time I google pole barn home I don't get what I'm looking for. Just wondering if anyone knows where to find plans for them and approximate cost?? Or if anyone lives in one and all the details about the home?


Tina

I didn`t know if you meant a Pole barn which to me means an open building with a roof or a Metal Building such as the one I`ve provided in the link below.A friend of ours used to work for US Steel.He says they have a good product and those buildings go up FAST.Good luck with whatever style you choose.


Sharon


http://www.unitedsteelbuilding.com/building/wizard/

http://www.diypolebarns.com/ try here i think these barns be easier to convert to homes

Yes that's what I was meaning it's hard to explain what you are looking for if you don't know what it's called.

Thanks

If you are looking to finance this home, you will find that the lenders will not give you a construction loan on a "utility" building. I ran into a lot of red tape on this very subject when I was researching what to build last year. And, once it is complete, you will have trouble getting the construction loan change to a standard mortgage as the banks will balk on being able to underwrite it. If its not "standard housing stock" they will not underwrite it as a home. Insurance will be an issue to...just some things to think about.
Also, if you have any county requirements on zoning, they might stop you on putting up a pole building as a primary residence. In my county, they will not allow a pole barn to be built in a field without a zoning variance. The reason is that a lot of farmers were erecting these buildings and using them as homes. Less taxes to collect because from the outside, it looked like an agricultural building. So check your local and county regulations before you plan to buy.
If you are going that route, look at using blow in foam insulation. It gives superior insulation and is cost effective, and best of all, is not an environmental hit like fiberglass is. :)

My Cabin was made basicaly like a Pole Barn.I wouldn't do it again for the simple fact you have to have something to put your interior walls up.

If I was going to do it again and want to go cheap.Just go with Stick Built and us cheaper material such as rough cut Lumber.

big rockpile

I would hae to go with the BR here Yes they are heaper to put up But by the tie you put the framing on the insides and several other things that I cant think of right now you will have just as much money and more time in it. On the flip side I have seen some of these that look great,
Jim

You'd probably have low maintenance for your lifetime for sure, but as noted above, it might cost just as much to construct as a conventional home, all things considered. Another option you might want to consider (and that some on this site are doing) is to build a smaller building that could be used as a temporary home while you spend time building your permanent home. You'd be surprised at how much you can save if you have time on your side to look for bargains. Once the new home was finished, just convert the temporary structure to a barn or garden center or any number of a thousand useful things you could do with it.

Good luck in whatever you decide to do.

when we were looking for a new home a few years ago we looked at several of the pole construction type building. the neatest one i remember was 40x80 and the guy who owned it liked his "toys". he had a 2 bedroom apartment built at one end 2 stories and the rest of the inside had a pool table, bar his harley's and a 32 deuce coupe. he had a small fake palm tree in one corner and indoor/outdoor carpeting covering the concrete. the wife wanted something a little more conventional but had it been just me that is where i would have been! :hobbyhors

My place in Missouri is built using a modified pole building method and I wouldnt trade it for the world. I have built about 1800 sq.ft. and the running total for labor and materials is about 25K, perhaps less as that total includes things I purchased but havent installed yet. The house is a work in progress. But that's lots cheaper than conventional building.

Im in the process of writing an article for Neil Shelton's Homestead.org e-zine on just this subject. Here's a link to the ezine but I cant say for sure when the article will appear. http://www.homestead.org/ The article describes the method I used and gives some simple designs.

JAMESSONG5 if you would like some more information on the method and help with the design, drop me a PM and I would be glad to talk about my experiences and work out a deal for some design work if you are interested. Its certainly doable. :)

Here's a link to Mark's article: http://www.homestead.org/MarkChenail...uriJournal.htm the Missouri Journal

One thing you might want to consider if you go the Pole Barn way is to fix up Metal Brackets to fasten your Poles to.So you don't have the problem of the bottomes of the Poles rotting.Just bolt the Brackets in concrete.

big rockpile

I am friends with a famioly in SC who have lived in a pole construction house for many years. You would not know it to look at it. The father and two sons built it. It is basically a kitchen, 1/2 bath and great room downstairs, topped with three beds and a bath upstairs. It also has a HUGE screened in porch of one side.
Our home now is of stick construction (16X24') but tha additions will more than triple that footage and be of pole construction.
A word of caution. If you try to use rough sawn lumber for framing a stick framed home, you are going to run into problems when it comes to installing windows and doors.

Neil thanks for posting the link to my Missouri Journal. It will certainly give Jamesong5 an idea of my method. However the article I mentioned was the one I am writing for you now about designing basic dacha type houses using my pole method. Another brilliant literary work altogether. :p

Ooooch! Mea culpa!

Why don't you try Wick Buildings? They have some beautiful residential buildings.
http://www.wickbuildings.com/OurBuil...sidential.aspx

My sister and BIL put up a post and beam house. That is about as close to a pole building home I've ever seen.

They built the house themselves back in 1980, and are still living in it today.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...s/19800108.jpg

Cathy

You absolutely can build a Post Frame home. Many pole builders are now marketing them.
Any experienced pole builder should be able to advise! If you decide to build your home Post Frame, be sure to add post protectors to your posts. www.postprotector.com

I've got a close friend who has a Morton building barn style house. They are a little pricey to have Morton come and put up, but they have some great pics and plans to get ideas from. http://www.mortonbuildings.com/cabin.aspx

We lived in a pole barn which was half converted to home for a year while my parent's built their new home in '92-93. Be sure to modify your plans to make it more "house convenient" while building because it is difficult to retrofit later.

Another thing that comes to mind if you are looking for more of a "house" style-home "kits" from lumber yards. I don't know what you have locally, but Sutherlands usually has some decent home "kits" running on special sales, and if you go in to talk to them most of the stores will allow changes and customizations on the packages. You do all the labor of course or you have to sub it out, and foundation expenses are seperate. http://www.sutherlands.com/downloads...g_brochure.pdf

Great site, lots of cool stuff, the dwellings look easy to construct. Thank You

A friend of mine moved to a huge pole barn made by ---------. He did all the interior work, after they threw up the exterior. He had six living under the same roof. they all like it.

I built one
 

And we have lived hapily in it since 2004. 3200 square feet. Would I do it again.. Yep. Exterior walls are 7 inches thick.
Here is the link to my photo gallery.
http://www.pbase.com/ericjeeper/pole_barn_house

I have two beautiful pole barns. They both ARE barns and they look like it too. They don't resemble houses in the slightest. Both have living quarters in them, though and very nice ones. Granite countertops, tile floors, carpet, etc. I am really happy with this arrangement as the animals are close by and I didn't have to shell out alot of extra money for a house. We came out far cheaper and one day, when we do build an actual house, these living areas can be used as guest rooms for my future bed and breakfast after my children grow up. Or, if plans change, I can re-convert this area back to garage or storage space or even back to animal housing.

If you're starting from scratch, its something to think about.